Georgiy Sudakov, the 22-year-old Ukrainian attacking midfielder from Shakhtar Donetsk, has opened up about his career and personal life in a recent interview with La Repubblica.
“Is it true that Juventus and Milan wanted me? Yes, I received those offers, but they were rejected by Shakhtar.”
Sudakov also commented on the success of Ukrainian players in European leagues: “I think Ukrainian talent, the habit of working hard, and pursuing your goal without sparing yourself are the key. Today, young players chase their goals even more desperately, giving up their childhood for the chance to become a football player.”
The midfielder shared a harrowing experience from the beginning of the Russian invasion: “My wife was about to give birth to our daughter. We hid from Russian missiles in an air-raid shelter with her and her parents. But I was very worried about my younger brother, who was alone at the Metalist Academy in Kharkiv, and for my parents, alone in Cherkasy. Emotions impossible to express.”
Sudakov spoke about the ongoing impact of the conflict: “It’s exhausting not being able to play in Ukraine, we have to travel by road and the journey takes several days each time. But it’s nothing compared to what our soldiers are experiencing. And now there are many Ukrainians abroad, we feel their support in other countries too.”
He also expressed concern about waning international support: “At first, the whole world really mobilized to help Ukraine, but lately it seems more and more that we are left alone with the enemy. We are reclaiming our land with the lives of our best people. It’s a daily struggle for our existence that has lasted for more than two years.”
Sudakov shared a touching story about the impact of football during wartime: “After the victory over France in the Under-21 European Championship, where I scored two goals, a man wrote to me on Instagram from Mariupol, an occupied city from which he couldn’t escape. He wrote that our victory gave him hope for the future, that he cried with happiness and experienced the first positive emotions since the beginning of the war.”
The interview concluded with Sudakov discussing his charitable work: “I visited the National Cancer Institute, I met two children, Artem and Viacheslav, 6 and 4 years old. Artem is a football fan, I left him my number, we’ll play together when he’s healed. Viacheslav loves cars and gave me one from his collection. The least I can do for Ukrainian children is give them my time.”
